Disappearing roller



2 Shee'ts-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 15, 1950 INVENTOR. M/LLARD J. LAUGLE, 51?.

um m Feb. 22, 1955 M. J. LAUGLE, SR

DISAPPEARING ROLLER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 15, 1950 INVENTOR. M/LLARD J. LAUGLE, 51?.

United States Patent DISAPPEARING ROLLER Millard J. Laugle, Sr., Batesville, Ind.

Application December 15, 1950, Serial No. 200,992

3 Claims. (Cl. 193-35) This invention relates to disappearing roller assemblies of the type adapted for use in converting ambulances to hearses and vice versa, and for other purposes.

An object of this invention is to provide a compact roller assembly comprising a box-like housing, a roller in the housing that may be raised to exposed or loadtransporting position, or lowered to concealed position within the housing, and a sectional hinged cover.

It is an object also to provide a cover of such design and construction that the housing is completely closed by the cover when the roller is concealed and is covered jointly by the roller and the cover when the roller is in exposed or load-transporting position.

Another object of the invention is to provide simple,

inexpensive, and efiicient bearing assemblies for the roller journals whereby the roller may be easily and conveniently raised or lowered to exposed or concealed positions, respectively.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in this art from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary top plan view of one end of the roller assembly showng a portion of the roller in exposed or load-transporting position;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. l of an opposite end portion of the roller assembly with the roller in concealed position and the cover closed;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the roller assembly drawn to a reduced scale, the cover being shown in closed position;

Fig. 4 is a view in section, taken on line IVIV of Fig. l, the full line position of the cover illustrating the closed position thereof and the dotted line position of a portion of the cover indicating the position of that portion when the roller is in exposed position;

Fig. 5 is a view corresponding to Fig. 4 showing the cover closed, the position of the roller when in concealed position being indicated by broken lines;

Fig. 6 is a view in section taken on line VI-VI of Fig. 1 showing the roller in exposed position and illustrating the motion of the component parts of the cover preparatory to closing the cover with the roller in that position; and

Figs. 7 and 8 are views in section, taken along line VII-VII of Fig. 1, showing the action of the bearings for the roller journals when the roller is in concealed and exposed positions, respectively.

Throughout the drawings and the specification like reference characters indicate like parts.

In the drawings, the roller assembly is shown as comprising a housing 1 having a bottom 2, side walls 3 and 4, end walls 5 and 6, a cover 7, and a roller 8. The housing is provided with a border flange 9 extending laterally outward from the tops of the side and end walls, as shown. A counter-sunk shoulder 10 is formed at the top of the end and side walls to accommodate the cover and cause the top surface thereof, when the cover is closed, to lie in substantially the same plane as the border flange 9, as shown.

The housing of the roller assembly may be mounted in openings in the floor F of a vehicle, such as a hearse or ambulance, or other vehicle, with the border flanges 9 resting on the floor as shown, and supporting the assembly in its intended location. When the roller assembly is used in vehicles for the intended purpose, a plurality of these roller assemblies will be mounted at different places in the floor of the vehicle, so that when the vehicle is used as a hearse, for example, the rollers may be raised to an exposed or load-carrying position. Thus, a casket may be moved over the floor upon the rollers. When the vehicle is to be used as an ambulance, the rollers may be placed in concealed position in the housings and the covers closed as indicated by Figs. 3, 4, and 5. When closed, the cover will be substantially flush with the top surface of the floor.

As shown, the roller is provided with journals 12 at its opposite ends that extend through vertical slots 13 formed in guides 16 secured to the bottom of the housing adjacent side wall 4. In order to support the roller in its raised or exposed position, bearings 17 and 18 are provided adjacent the end walls of the housing. Bearings 17 and 18 are in the nature of pawls comprising arms that are pivotally supported on pins 20 located in or near the corners formed by the side wall 4 and the end walls, as shown more particularly in Fig. 1. These pawls are provided with shoulders or ledges 22 that engage the ends of the roller journals when the roller is in concealed position. When the roller is in exposed position, shoulders 22 move to a position directly under the roller jourals, as shown in Fig. l. The pawls are urged to loadsupporting position by springs 23 that are held in compression between the end walls of the housing and arms 24 formed as an integral part of the pawls. The arms 24 are so located that they may be actuated by ones fingers to the position shown in Fig. 2 when it is desired to place the roller in concealed position within the housing, that is, when it is desired to disengage the bearings from the roller journals.

Cover 7, as illustrated, comprises two sections or parts 27 and 28. Section 27 is hinged to side wall 3 and section 28 is hinged to section 27. Section 27 is substantially of U-shape and section 28 is substantially rectangular and of such size that it fits the window 29 of section 27. The overall length of the U-shaped section 27 is such as to span the length of the housing and its width is sufficient to span the width of the housing, so that gherlioclosed the cover will rest on the counter-sunk shoul- If it is desired to expose the roller 8, cover 7 is raised from its closed position (see Figs. 1, 2, 4, 5 and 7) to a position where cover section 27 occupies the position shown in Fig. 6. Section 28 is then swung downwardly on its hinges until it lies against section 27. Roller 8 may then be raised manually to the full line position shown in Fig. 6, in which position the shoulders 22 of the pawls are urged by springs 23 to a position where they are on the underside of journals 12 and support the roller in a load-carrying position.

After the roller has been exposed as above described, section 27 of the cover is returned to closed position. As it is thus returned the free edge of cover section 28 comes to rest on a support 30 and is held in the inclined position shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. When the cover 7 is closed with the roller exposed, it will be observed that the window in the cover section 27 is substantially closed by roller 8. Therefore, when the roller is exposed and the cover is closed, the top of the housing is substantially closed by the roller and cover section 27. Thus, it will be seen that the housing is effectively protected against the accumulation of soil and dirt when the roller is concealed, as well as when it is exposed. It will also appear that whether the roller is concealed or exposed, the cover does not adversely interfere with the smoothness of the floor in which the roller assembly is mounted.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A housing and support for a disappearing roller, said housing being adapted for mounting in openings in a floor and comprising a box-like memberhaving flanges projecting outwardly from the top of the housing walls, whereby the housing is supported on the floor when mounted in said opening, said housing being provided with means adjacent the ends of one wall of the box-like member for supporting a roller in an elevated position in which the top of the roller is above the top of the box. and in a concealed position where it is below the top of the box, and a cover for the box comprising a main and an auxiliary section, means for hinging the main section to the wall of the box opposite the roller, at a location adjacent the top of said wall, and means for hinging the auxiliary section to the main section, the auxiliary section being hinged to swing downwardly into the box when the main section is swung upwardly, the two sections serving when closed to cover the box and the roller, but when the auxiliary section is within the box, the roller may be exposed through the space uncovered by the auxiliary section, at which time the main section covers the top of the box, with the exception of the space occupied by such roller.

2. A housing according to claim 1, in which the ends of the main section span the top of the box and is provided at its free side with an opening adapted to accommodate the roller in its elevated position when the main cover is closed, and that the auxiliary section is hinged to the main cover at the rear edge of said opening and arranged to lie within the box when the roller is exposed and to overlie the roller when the main section is closed and such roller is within the box in its concealed position.

3. A disappearing roller assembly adapted for mounting in the fioors of vehicles or the like, comprising a rectangular housing having a bottom, side and end walls, members within said housing and adjacent the opposite ends thereof each of which is provided with a vertical slot adapted to receive and guide the journals of a roller adapted for mounting in the housing, whereby, when a roller is journaled in said slots, the roller is movable vertically to an elevated position in which the top of the roller is above the side and end walls of the housing, and to a lowered position Where the top of said roller is below the tops of the sides and ends thereof, said housing being provided with pivotally-mounted members adja cent said slots, the pivotally mounted members having lugs adapted to engage and support the roller in its elevated position, and a cover for said housing hinged to one of the side walls thereof, said cover comprising sections, one of which is hinged to another whereby, when the roller is in elevated position, one section of said cover may be disposed within the housing to provide a window through which the top of the roller may project, and when the roller is in lowered position, the cover sections may lie fiatwise across the top of said housing, to close the same.

References Cited in the file of this/patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 791,218 Schuyler May 30, 1905 1,431,288 Corder Oct. 10, 1922 2,174,298 Gravenstine Sept. 19, 1939 2,468,925 De Boer May 3, 1949 

